Misplaced Americans

Product Notes

Matt Quarterman was born to missionary parents in Portugal. When he was 13 his family moved to Odessa, Ukraine, where with several friends he founded Nonchalance, the only English-speaking rock band for 1000 kilometers. After graduating he moved to Mississippi to earn a degree in English, and unexpectedly found a bride along the way. He and his wife Erin moved to Boston, Massachusetts where Matt is finishing his Songwriting degree at Berklee College of Music. Given his frenetic upbringing, you would rightly expect the music Matt makes to be somewhat eclectic and left of center. He's been a singer/songwriter since he was 13 and plays guitar, harmonica, Dobro, mandolin and banjo. He's written hundreds of songs, combining elements of country, rockabilly, old-time folk music, the Russian bard tradition, blues, classical and pop/rock. "It's definitely a weird mix," he laughs. "But I guess most of my musical heroes played music that was a bizarre mish-mash. Guys like Johnny Cash or Viktor Tsoi combined genres in ways they hadn't been mixed before. You forget because it was done so well they made it sound natural." His debut EP Misplaced Americans showcases that kind of organic, juxtaposed approach to music. There's Russian-tinged folk (Pushkin Street), electronica (Radiohead Fan), barn-burning country (Closed Down) and epic rock (White Morning). "I want the listener to really feel like they've traveled somewhere," Matt explains. "There are a lot of different genres and emotions just in these eight songs, and that was done with a purpose. I want someone to sit down and listen to it start to finish, and at the end feel like they've arrived someplace different from where they began. Maybe it's because I traveled around so much growing up, but I get restless easily. I don't like staying in one place too long or just harping on one emotion or vibe too much. Matt's won several awards for his poetry and when asked if he has a different lyrical viewpoint because of his background in literature, he answers, "Maybe so. I feel like there's so much that hasn't been said in popular music, so many subjects and approaches that have been addressed in books or art or film. That's one of the things that's always excited me about being a songwriter: extending my reach, finding the ways to express these ineffable things in words and music. I hope these songs reach people who want to go on that kind of journey." Is that idea of a journey reflected in the title? "Oh, yeah. It's kind of a provocative title, isn't it? Down with the imperialist pigs: reclaim the land for the working masses! No, actually it's more of a personal thing. For years I questioned whether or not I was American, trying to find some kind of identity. And I think that in studying literature and listening to a lot of music both Russian and American, and especially in writing a lot of these songs I've settled that for myself. I'm sort of a wandering American, never quite at home anywhere. There's a beauty in that to me. "And a lot of these songs deal with those ideas of place and time. Whether the past is lot to us, where home is, the nostalgia and emotions from a specific period. You know, all those trivial questions in life. I may have also answered whether the fridge light stays on after you close the door. That's on the bonus track. But this is sort of the soundtrack to my journey, and my hope for the music is that it can become a part of that trip for somebody else. I'd love to see these songs reach out to you and be absorbed as part of your own pilgrimage." How does he expect that to happen? "Well, I have a lot of long conversations with my friends late at night about the music that's been important to us. So often it's tied to your own circumstances, the when's and where's. I want to make music that speaks to that, to be a part of that conversation for someone. "All this to say," he concludes, "BUY MY ALBUM! It's new and you'll love it and won't ever regret it! Please, I'm starving and I need the cash." He laughs. "But I'm alright with that. Nothing that's worth doing is ever easy."

Matt Quarterman was born to missionary parents in Portugal. When he was 13 his family moved to Odessa, Ukraine, where with several friends he founded Nonchalance, the only English-speaking rock band for 1000 kilometers. After graduating he moved to Mississippi to earn a degree in English, and unexpectedly found a bride along the way. He and his wife Erin moved to Boston, Massachusetts where Matt is finishing his Songwriting degree at Berklee College of Music. Given his frenetic upbringing, you would rightly expect the music Matt makes to be somewhat eclectic and left of center. He's been a singer/songwriter since he was 13 and plays guitar, harmonica, Dobro, mandolin and banjo. He's written hundreds of songs, combining elements of country, rockabilly, old-time folk music, the Russian bard tradition, blues, classical and pop/rock. "It's definitely a weird mix," he laughs. "But I guess most of my musical heroes played music that was a bizarre mish-mash. Guys like Johnny Cash or Viktor Tsoi combined genres in ways they hadn't been mixed before. You forget because it was done so well they made it sound natural." His debut EP Misplaced Americans showcases that kind of organic, juxtaposed approach to music. There's Russian-tinged folk (Pushkin Street), electronica (Radiohead Fan), barn-burning country (Closed Down) and epic rock (White Morning). "I want the listener to really feel like they've traveled somewhere," Matt explains. "There are a lot of different genres and emotions just in these eight songs, and that was done with a purpose. I want someone to sit down and listen to it start to finish, and at the end feel like they've arrived someplace different from where they began. Maybe it's because I traveled around so much growing up, but I get restless easily. I don't like staying in one place too long or just harping on one emotion or vibe too much. Matt's won several awards for his poetry and when asked if he has a different lyrical viewpoint because of his background in literature, he answers, "Maybe so. I feel like there's so much that hasn't been said in popular music, so many subjects and approaches that have been addressed in books or art or film. That's one of the things that's always excited me about being a songwriter: extending my reach, finding the ways to express these ineffable things in words and music. I hope these songs reach people who want to go on that kind of journey." Is that idea of a journey reflected in the title? "Oh, yeah. It's kind of a provocative title, isn't it? Down with the imperialist pigs: reclaim the land for the working masses! No, actually it's more of a personal thing. For years I questioned whether or not I was American, trying to find some kind of identity. And I think that in studying literature and listening to a lot of music both Russian and American, and especially in writing a lot of these songs I've settled that for myself. I'm sort of a wandering American, never quite at home anywhere. There's a beauty in that to me. "And a lot of these songs deal with those ideas of place and time. Whether the past is lot to us, where home is, the nostalgia and emotions from a specific period. You know, all those trivial questions in life. I may have also answered whether the fridge light stays on after you close the door. That's on the bonus track. But this is sort of the soundtrack to my journey, and my hope for the music is that it can become a part of that trip for somebody else. I'd love to see these songs reach out to you and be absorbed as part of your own pilgrimage." How does he expect that to happen? "Well, I have a lot of long conversations with my friends late at night about the music that's been important to us. So often it's tied to your own circumstances, the when's and where's. I want to make music that speaks to that, to be a part of that conversation for someone. "All this to say," he concludes, "BUY MY ALBUM! It's new and you'll love it and won't ever regret it! Please, I'm starving and I need the cash." He laughs. "But I'm alright with that. Nothing that's worth doing is ever easy."